On Monday, the Telangana High Court will hear the Hyderabad encounter case of the four men accused of raping and killing a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in the city. The four accused of rape and murder were arrested soon after the crime. They were taken to the site for reconstruction of events. As per reports, they were trying to escape when the police opened fire and killed them. The encounter happened on early Friday morning at Chattanpalli. The police recovered the doctor’s phone, wrist watch and other important things from the spot.
Earlier on Friday, the court had directed the state government to preserve the bodies of the four accused till 8pm on December 9. It had also issued a directive treating as a petition, a representation received in the Office of the Chief Justice, alleging that the ‘encounter’ was extra-judicial killings and requesting judicial intervention.
The Cyberabad Police had said its personnel resorted to “retaliatory” firing after two of the accused opened fire at police. They had, apparently, snatched the police personnel’s weapons besides attacking the latter with stones and sticks, resulting in injuries to two policemen.
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There has been a big debate on the mode of the process adopted by the police. While some quarters have applauded the forces, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the encounter and ordered probe. A seven-member committee was deputed by the NHRC on a ‘fact-finding’ mission.
The NHRC team, including a forensic medicine expert, had examined the bodies at a mortuary at a state-run hospital in Mahabubnagar district. It also visited the nearby encounter site and recorded statements of the family members of the four men killed in the encounter.